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Monday, April 16, 2012

Generator Fumes Kill 95-Year-Old & His Three Grandchildren In Anambra State

Residents of Urum community of Awka
North Local Government Area of Anambra State were awoken on Sunday [Apr. 15] to
the news of the death of a 95-year-old man, Chief Sopulu Nwankwo, and three of his grandchildren.

The four deceased along with a
female survivor reportedly went to bed on Saturday night leaving their
generator on. The other casualties were Chigozie
Nwajideobi (7), Dubem Nwajideobi
(13) and Favour Nwankwo (7).

An in-law to the old man, Mr. Charles Nwajideobi, whose two sons
were among the dead explained that his sons often slept in their grandfather’s
house to watch movies and football matches.

Nwajideobi
said
he had come in the morning to pick his sons only to discover that the doors
were still locked, while his knocks were not answered.

He said it was when he used the
spare key in his possession to open the door that he found the four corpses and
his daughter, Ogochukwu, who was
struggling to breathe.

She was rushed to a hospital in Awka
for medical attention.

Though many attributed the death to
carbon monoxide poisoning from the generator fumes, some villagers, including Nwajideobi suspected they were
poisoned because of the foam coming out of their mouths.

Ogochukwu
Nwajideobi
was placed on a life support machine at the hospital. The doctor treating her
case, E.I Onwubuya, could not
confirm if the girl’s condition was as a result of inhalation of the generator
fumes but observed that it could lead to death.

PUNCH could not reach Police Public
Relations Officer, Mr. Emeka Chukwuemeka,
to confirm the incident but a police source at Achalla, who craved anonymity,
confirmed the incident.